Donna Gaines

April 15, 2009 –
On April 15, 2001, Joey Ramone died in New York City's Presbyterian Hospital due to complications from lymphoma, a form of cancer he had been battling for more than six years. He was 49. To honor his death, SPIN invited Dr. Donna Gaines, a music journalist, sociologist, and close friend of Joey's, to write a tribute to the Queens-born rocker that chronicled the final days of his life -- and captured his sensitive, misfit soul. Below, read the complete article, featured in our July 2001 issue, then click to page two to read quotes of remembrance from Bono, Beastie Boy Adam Horovitz, and Ronnie Spector, among others.
Woke up thinking 'bout you today, felt sad and lonely.... Last New Year's Eve day, Manhattan was covered with fresh snow. It was risky for Joey Ramone to be walking around, but he had cabin fever, and he refused to let cancer get the best of him.